Chronicle Editor
Tsenulo Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
THE urge for instant riches, saw a 39-year-old unemployed man from Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North province raping a 70-year-old granny on two different occasions on the advice of a sangoma who told him he would become wealthy.
In his sojourn to become rich, Gift Mathe went to a sangoma who told him that in order to amass wealth, he was supposed to rape a granny. He was also given a charm to sleep on top of it, which was said to make it easier for him to rape his target.
It is reported that on December 1, 2024, at around 1am, Mathe, armed with the charm, went to his target, who is a granny residing in the same village, where upon arrival he found the victim and her daughter sleeping in a bedroom hut.
The victim was awakened by her daughter, who had a torchlight and informed her that there was a man standing near her bed, holding a knife in his hand.
Upon seeing this, the victim and her daughter screamed for help, calling out to neighbours, but Mathe silenced them by threatening to harm them.
Mathe is said to have raped the victim and fled the scene through an open window. He is also said to have come back after a few minutes through the same open window.
Upon his return, Mathe is said to have hit the victim with open hands on the face and head several times, instructing her to open her thighs.
The victim complied out of fear, and he raped her for the second time.
He is said to have fled the scene again through the window. The victim and her daughter who had positively identified Mathe went to inform their neighbours about what had transpired at daybreak the following morning.
They then reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of Mathe.
For that crime, Mathe appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sibonginkosi Mnkandla facing two counts of rape. He pleaded guilty to both offenses.
Mathe was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for each count of rape, making a total of 40 years’ imprisonment for both counts.
While passing the sentence, the magistrate took note of the fact that the accused knew very well what he was doing while committing the offences.
“You used violence in committing the offences. The complainant was severely traumatised by the incidents. It’s not acceptable that the young abuse the elders,” she said.
The magistrate said the sentence given to Mathe should send a message to the whole community that such crimes do not go unpunished and make sure the community does not disrespect the law in the future.
In his defence, he confessed that he committed the crime after he went to a sangoma who advised him that if he wanted to become rich, he should sleep with a granny.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter